TECH-SAVVY Singaporeans are on the ball about buying the latest anti-virus software for their computers, but a lot less so about protecting themselves while surfing the Internet, say information technology security specialists.

Consultants from IT security firms Sophos and Symantec point out that openly volunteering personal details such as contact numbers, home addresses and dates of birth can put one at risk of harassment, identity theft, fraud and phishing.

A recent survey by Symantec confirmed online users' cavalier attitudes: Fully half of the 130 Nanyang Technological University students polled said they have posted sensitive personal data on their social-networking profiles; one in three have accepted friendship requests from strangers.

The social networks were not specified, but popular ones among Singapore Internet users include Facebook, Friendster and MySpace.

Some online users say they are wary. Polytechnic student Jamie Lee, 19, who is on three social networking sites, said she has been alerted to dangers following some incidents, the most serious of which involved a stranger who turned up at a friend's home, going by the home address she posted on her profile.

She and her friends have also received prank calls and had men making passes at them, and remains on her guard - even as she puts herself on new social networks.

Read Tan Weizhen's full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times!